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GREENPOINT | WILLIAMSBURG

VOLUME 45 | NUMBER 35

SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

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The Other Side of Greenpoint’s Success Story By Angelica Hill Special to Greenpoint Gazette

Greenpoint, Brooklyn, is up-and-coming, a prime location for the young, successful and trendy. Real-estate advertisements boast of its “culture, commerce and community” with “direct access to Midtown Manhattan, Wall Street, Williamsburg, Long Island City.” They describe it as “New York’s most creative neighborhood for the arts, dining, entertainment, and shopping. With its sweeping skyline views of New York City and its rich, original history.” But many are blind to the crippling implications of these changes on local businesses and longtime residents. continued on p. 2

LEFT: Welcome to The Greenpoint, AKA 21 India St., as seen from a ferry boat at sunset. Brooklyn Eagle photo by Lore Croghan

Highlights: North Brooklyn’s Annual Outdoor Celebration

De Blasio to Force NYC Building Owners to Upgrade Buildings to Fight Climate Change Taste Williamsburg Greenpoint, an annual outdoor celebration of North Brooklyn's local ﬂavor, drew thousands of food aﬁcionados this past weekend to sample tastes from more than 40 of the neighborhood's best restaurants, bars, breweries and wineries, along with live music and much, much more. The event, in its eighth year, is produced by The Firehouse North Brooklyn Community Center (formally known as Northside Town Hall), which is working to renovate and operate the former Engine Co. 212 Firehouse Photo courtesy of The Firehouse North Brooklyn Community Center for community activity. For more photos, see pages 5‐8.

“The number one problem is those buildings you see behind me,” de Blasio said at Brooklyn Bridge Park last Thursday, as he announced new rules that would force thousands of building owners to retroﬁt their boilers, windows and roofs in order to make sharp reductions in greenhouse gas emis‐ Brooklyn Eagle photo by Mary Frost sions. See page 4.

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The Other Side of Greenpoint’s Success Story continued from p. 1

Greenpoint, sometimes called “Little Poland,” has the second largest Polish immigrant community in the U.S., behind Chicago’s “Little Warsaw.” Poles settled in Greenpoint at the end of the 19th century, fleeing the Russian Empire and hoping for the economic prosperity promised by the American Dream. Zofia Goreczny moved to Greenpoint from Poland 30 years ago. She immediately felt at home, she said. Almost everyone spoke Polish. Most of the shops were Polish. The area was rough around the edges but had good schools and a sense of community. Goreczny now manages the Kiszka Nassau Meat Market, an iconic institution that has been serving the community for nearly four decades. Regulars used to come into Goreczny’s store daily to stock up on the fresh bydgoska and krakowska sausages, kaszanka and podlaska, as well as the dizzying array of hams and other meats on offer. The shop is a focal point for the Polish community, a place to socialize as well as to shop. They see old friends, catch up with the local gossip and pause to reminisce about their homeland, where they knew each other as children. Many of the workers and customers at Kiszka expressed the sentiment that if Kiszka were ever to close, it would surely mark the end of the Polish community in Greenpoint. Goreczny is confident the shop will survive for the next five years but the customer base, including canny tourists and adventurous Koreans, now travels from further afield. There is a pervasive sadness about Kiszka’s seemingly inevitable slide from community center to tourist attraction or novelty store.

ABOVE: Zophia Goreczny, a 30‐year resident of Greenpoint who migrated from Poland.

Greenpoint, some‐ Longtime residents say they simply cantimes called ‘Little Poland,’ not compete in this new housing market. Maraj, the manager at a cozy lithas the second largest Polish Shivane tle café on Manhattan Avenue, reflected immigrant community in the U.S., upon the disappearance of her Polish regulars. The story of Bill, who would behind Chicago’s ‘Little Warsaw.’ come in every Saturday for a chicken on rye or a turkey burger, brought the Poles settled in Greenpoint at the end reality home to Maraj. Bill had lived The neighborhood character in Greenpoint his life. He would is dissipating. Greenpoint, perof the 19th century, ﬂeeing the usually come inallalone and one Saturilously close geographically to the day Maraj noticed he himself Russian Empire and hoping for the and asked what was wrong.wasn’t giddy hipster heights of Williams“He said his burg, is powerless to resist the landlord sold his building and he had to economic prosperity prom‐ economic pull of its proximity to a find a place, and he just…I mean he’s like new kind of immigrant: young and ised by the American 75 he just doesn’t know how he could afford affluent city workers seeking a new area to move around here. This is home, he was that promises grit, edge and character — but Dream. acborn, raised here, this is all he knows, and so without crime and with easy access to flat white coffees and organic juice. “The Greenpoint,” set to be the tallest building in Brooklyn, towers over the neighborhood and markets itself to a determinedly highclass clientele.

Photos courtesy of Angelica Hill

Gary Gigante, a retiree who has lived on the same Greenpoint block for over three decades, jokes that he had “never heard of a $5 coffee — not around here, never. And you’ll stumble onto that now. You’ll walk into one of these coffee shops opening up, by

cident and say “Ay, I want a cup of coffee” and they’ll turn around and say “oh yeah, that will be $5” and you’re like in shock, especially when the most you’ve ever spent on a coffee is 2 bucks.” Gary continued that as people moved from the area, his circle of close friends has been reduced to a number he can count on one hand. He adds that “now all of a sudden everything’s ‘prime’ real estate, everything’s ‘prime.’ I mean soon the garbage will be ‘prime garbage.’ It’s sad.”

he would just say he couldn’t afford.” Months went by and Maraj didn’t see Bill. Then she told me, ‘I saw one of the ladies that would know him and I said ‘Where’s Bill? I haven’t seen him. Is he okay?’ and she told me he committed suicide that week of Christmas.” Bill had been found unconscious, partially submerged in the East River, on the Brooklyn shoreline. “He literally just couldn’t, and I’m not saying it’s because he couldn’t afford but that was part of it, it contributed to the fact of it, and he was alone here, he had no one else.”

Yet Maraj said she recognized that progress cannot be halted: “When you have a one-bedroom apartment that is listed for $3,000 and disappears within two hours of being listed, I mean how can you stop that? There’s nothing you can really do because in the end that’s all they ever care about is money and this generation they want to be living in a cool town.” According to a 2014 NYU study, average rents in the Greenpoint and Williamsburg areas tripled between 1990 and 2014, with the median rent increasing from $857 to $1,591. Is that one of the steepest increases in the study? Would be good to give it some context? Maraj’s colleague at the café, Roberta Flores, said she was forced to leave her apartment in Greenpoint after 17 years. She echoed the familiar narrative of Greenpoint evolving from a “really bad” neighborhood, with drug dealers and empty plots, to a nicer environment in which it was cleaned up and the rent rises were manageable but then “it started getting expensive…I ended up paying from $600 monthly, to $1,000 and then $2,000. I don’t think it was worth the apartment for that payment.” Roberta eventually moved, with her two young daughters, into a continued on p. 3

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The Other Side of Greenpoint’s Success Story [Shivane Maraj, the manager at a cozy little café on Manhattan Avenue] said she recognized that progress cannot be halted: “When you have a one‐ bedroom apartment that is listed for $3,000 and disappears within two hours of being listed, I mean how can you stop that?”

Photos courtesy of Angelica Hill

continued from p. 2

nearby shelter — only to find out that the many of the other residents were just out of prison. After two unsettling incidents with her daughters, she moved out — from the building and from Greenpoint. She still misses “my neighbors, like the community of Polish people.”

more affordable areas of Brooklyn such as Ridgewood and Maspeth. Both recognize that they are at the mercy of “the market.” The contrast with the newly arrived, whose priorities are economic and practical, is stark. For them, there is little space for sentimentality about the past. Both miss “the old Greenpoint.”

ABOVE: The Greenpoint, AKA 21 India St.

Maraj summed up the dilemma. “New York City has pretty much become unaffordable and we have to take responsibility, we can’t just blame the landlords, and we can’t just blame the city. The city does hold some responsibility but we as individuals we’re paying it.” She underlines the importance being “socially conscious about somebody’s right to live in a decent priced home.”

The neighborhood character is dissipating. Greenpoint, perilously close geographically to the giddy hipster heights of Williamsburg, is powerless to resist the economic Maraj and Goreczny pull of its proximity to a new share an uncertainty about the future. The kind of immigrant: young “regular” has become an enand aﬄuent. dangered species, moving to

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De Blasio to Force NYC Building Owners to Upgrade Buildings By Mary Frost Greenpoint Gazette

With New York City’s skyscrapers looming behind him, Mayor Bill de Blasio visited Brooklyn Bridge Park last Thursday to announce new rules that would force thousands of building owners to retrofit their buildings in order to make sharp reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Citing disasters ranging from Superstorm Sandy to the recent hurricanes in Texas and Florida, the mayor said New York City must lead the way on climate change initiatives. “The number one problem is those buildings you see behind me,” de Blasio said as he turned and pointed to the massive structures across the East River. “When we think about pollution we think about vehicles, but these buildings actually are the biggest problem that has not yet been addressed in this city. “We’re not waiting on President Trump and his cabinet of deniers,” he added. “Regardless of what happens in Washington, we will not shirk our responsibility to act on climate in our own backyard. We have to solve our own problems.” De Blasio said his office would be compiling a list of some of the more outstanding buildings that would be affected, including Trump Tower. The mandates, which must be approved by the City Council, would compel owners to meet fossil fuel caps with high penalties for failure to comply. The rules would require upgrades to boilers, water heaters, roofs and windows in roughly 14,500 private and city-owned buildings by 2030. These buildings account for roughly a quarter of the city’s emissions, de Blasio said. The retrofits would actually pay for themselves over a period of five to 15 years, the mayor said. Low-interest, longterm loans via the PACE program would be available to small (under 25,000-squarefeet) building owners. For example, a 30,000square-foot residential building bucking the rules would be

penalized $60,000 for every year over the standard, starting in 2030. A one-million-square foot building operating substantially over its energy target would pay as much as $2 million for every year over target. Failure to comply will also affect a building’s ability to receive future permits for major renovations. Landlords of rent regulated buildings and housing projects would be prevented from displacing tenants or raising rents (through MCI cost increases) based on the cost of the required improvements, the mayor said. “In this plan we separate out the affordable housing buildings. We put them on a different timeline on purpose,” he said. (Affordable housing would get five extra years to comply.) But de Blasio was fuzzy on whether other landlords would be allowed to raise rents, saying that he hoped to convince lawmakers in Albany to fix the MCI (Major Capital Improvement) law to prevent this abuse. “It ultimately pays for itself. So there’s no reason to burden tenants,” he said. “We’re going to go to Albany to fix the MCI law so that this will be entirely outside of that.” Under MCI, landlords can pass on the cost of new windows, boilers, roofs and other building-wide work as permanent rent increases, even after the improvements are paid off. Backing from environmental groups, dissent from real estate, community and tenant groups Representatives from groups including New York City Panel on Climate Change, Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council and New York League of Conservation Voters stood in solidarity with the mayor at Thursday’s announcement. Numerous elected officials also praised the plan. Several organizations objected to it, however, though for different reasons. John Banks, president of REBNY (Real Estate Board of New York), said in a statement on Thursday that while

Deputy Mayor Anthony Shorris answers technical questions at last Thursday’s press conference. the real estate group supports greenhouse gas reduction efforts, “These proposals require careful analysis, discussion and debate. The city's goals could inadvertently promote buildings that use less overall energy without regard to how the energy is used.” He added, “A trading floor with many terminals and employees might not meet targets, but an empty windowless building used for storage would meet the target. We all need to do what we can to make sustainable efforts affordable and achievable for all New Yorkers.” At the heart of REBNY’s concern is that the proposal is based on what the group calls a flawed metric, Energy Use Intensity (EUI). The group calls it an inappropriate measure because it does not take into account occupant density and space within a building. Instead, it simply divides a building’s annual energy consumption by its total gross floor area. New York Communities for Change called the plan “timid” in a release on Thursday. “The mayor’s plan would not meaningfully cut climate pollution,” spokesperson Pete Sikora said. A rally across from City Hall took place after the mayor’s announcement.

Delsenia Glover, a spokesperson for the Alliance for Tenant Power, said landlords would likely take advantage of the new rules to raise rents. “The plan released today assumes that new rent laws will magically fix the problem of mandatory capital improvements, which lead to bigger profits for landlords and higher rents for tenants,” Glover said. “Stronger rent laws are necessary for the survival of the working class in New York City, and we welcome support in passing them. But a plan that accelerates mandatory capital improvements before stronger laws are passed would be political malpractice.” The mandate accelerates the mayor’s pledge, made early this year after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would abandon the Paris Climate Agreement, that New York City would independently reach 80 percent reduction in emissions by the 2050 target. The mandates announced today “frontload” the most dramatic reductions into the coming decade, the mayor said. Robert White, a resident of Red Hook Houses, which were inundated during Superstorm Sandy, gave an emotional introduction to the

mayor, recounting the terrible times the city’s largest NYCHA complex suffered during and after the storm. “For the longest time, I didn’t believe in climate change. Hurricane Sandy changed that for me,” he told the crowd gathered on Pier 2. “The basement where the

Brooklyn Eagle photo by Mary Frost

electrical was, down there with the boiler and some other critical systems, was flooded. We could hear the explosions. The lights went out, and they were out for almost a month. It was a terrifying situation. It was like living in the twilight zone,” White said.

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Introducing

newyork-presbyterian

brooklyn methodist hospital. We’re bringing the people of Brooklyn the type of care that comes from being part of NewYork-Presbyterian. We’ve expanded our services and added more world-class specialists from Weill Cornell Medicine. They join the skilled doctors already here serving the community. Learn more at nyp.org/brooklyn

BROOKLYN EAGLE

Thousands Flock to Book-lyn!

Book lovers line the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall during this past weekendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Brooklyn Book Festival, which drew an estimated record 45,000 bibliophiles and a number of prominent authors to the borough. See pages 2-4. Eagle photo by Lore Croghan

Volume 18, No. 6

Two Sections

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

$1.00

Welcome to

BOOK-LYN BOOKLYN Bibliophiles Had a Blast at The Brooklyn Book Festival

sale Kids and adults alike peruse books forChilduring the Brooklyn Book Festival’s Frost dren’s Day activities. Eagle photo by Mary

By Kathryn Cardin, Lore Croghan, Mary Frost and Stephanie Kotsikonas

A young girl hugs a “Story Monster Brooklyn Book Festival’s Children’s ” at the Day.

Brooklyn Eagle

Colson Whitehead. Joyce Carol Oates. Jonathan Safran Foer. More than 300 authors wowed literature lovers at the Brooklyn Book Festival, an annual literary blow-out that took place on Saturday, Sept. 16 and Sunday, Sept. 17. This is the largest free literary event held in New York City — and it drew a record crowd. An estimated 45,000 bibliophiles descended on Brooklyn Borough Hall, Downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights to hear their favorite writers discuss their work and give readings. There were 14 stages in all for grown-ups’ day, which was Sept. 17. Colson Whitehead, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the novel “The Underground Railroad,” was given the festival’s annual Best of Brooklyn Award, which is nicknamed the BoBi. The Brooklyn Book Festival’s Children’s Day took place on Sept. 16 at MetroTech Commons.

Eagle photo by Mary Frost

Eagle photo by Lore Croghan

‘It Really Feels Like I’m Home’ BoBi honoree Whitehead, a Manhattan native, joined Brooklynite Lynn Nottage for a talk-de-force on Sept. 17. The two Pulitzer Prize winners spoke about their careers with moderator Johnny Temple, publisher and editor-in-chief of Akashic Books, as well as what it means to be a New Yorker and American alike. Festivalgoers packed into St. Ann & the Holy Trinity on Montague Street, the same church where Nottage’s great-grandparents were mar-ried in 1911, to hear the talk. “When I come here, it really feels like I’m home,” Nottage said of the worship house. Whitehead, who has written for The Village Voice and The New York Times and who won the National Book Award for Fiction for his novel “The Underground Railroad,” has been a supporter of the Brooklyn Book Festival since it began 12 years ago, Temple told the crowd. Nottage, whose plays, including “Sweat” and “Ruined,” have graced off-Broadway stages, has had her work described as centering around “morally ambiguous heroes or heroines, people who are fractured within their own bodies, who have to make very difficult choices in order to survive,” the festival’s website reports. Both Whitehead and Nottage discussed at length the power struggles and racial oppression in America throughout history and currently and how these issues have influenced their work. Nottage spoke about how it was important to “sustain the complexity” of black characters in her writing as a reflection of real life, and Whitehead discussed the need for all people to transcend cultural limits in order to learn about each other.

‘We Need to Teach the Civil War Correctly’ Colson Whitehead signs a book for a Brooklyn Book Festival worker and fan at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity. Eagle photo by Kathryn Cardin

2 • Brooklyn Eagle • Thursday, September 21, 2017

As African-American writers, Whitehead and Nottage’s works often examine the climate of racial politics in the United States and what it means to be black in different areas of the world. Each spoke about tackling stereotypes and also perpetuating them in order to prove points through their writing. One audience member asked whether they found it hard to write from perspectives that were not inherently their own. “It’s your job [as writers] to step out of your race, class, gender,” Whitehead said. While the current political climate in America may be uncomfortable, both writers took the time to discuss some of the movements happening across the country. “Removing monuments will end the conversation that needs to be had,” Nottage said about recent calls to remove Confederate statues from

public places. Instead, she proposed that sheaths be put over the monuments, so that the issues surrounding them continue to be discussed instead of detached entirely. “We need to teach the Civil War correctly,” Whitehead added, saying that the conversation Nottage was referring to starts in schools. At one point, Temple asked both writers to read from one of their works. Nottage chose “Ruined,” a play about women struggling in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. The audience audibly gasped when she read a monologue detailing rape, family neglect and child murder. Whitehead read from “The Underground Railroad,” an alternate history novel that sets the Underground Railroad as an actual subway train and follows slaves’ journeys through it. Many fans in the room posed questions to Whitehead about his award-winning novel. And both he and Nottage spoke about what music they listen to when they write, and how it relates to their characters’ development. After the talk, people filed into a small room and immediately formed lines to have their books signed by the writers. Some scrambled to buy books at the last minute, but most brought their own from home. Continued on page 3

Jonathan Safran Foer reads from his novel “Here I Am” at the Brooklyn Book Festival. Novelist Fernanda Torres is at left and novelist Rodrigo Hasbun is at right.

Eagle photo by Lore Croghan

So many books and so many shopers at the Brooklyn Book Festival.

Cara o an reads fro her no el nning at the Brooklyn Book Festi al o elist ndre i an is at le and no elist lif Bat an and anel oderator ar l ehgal are at right. Eagle photo by L ore Croghan

Eagle photo by Lore Croghan

Continued from

page 2

Her S tep mother Is a S ex D oll Hazel' s stepmother is a sex doll. And that' s not the worst of it. Hazel' s husband, the rich and powerful founder of G ogol Industries, has put a chip in her brain and can track her like a lost cellphone. Modern love can get weird sometimes. Hazel is the protagonist in Alissa Nutting' s hilarious and poignant novel “Made for Love.” Nutting is “really suspicious of technology” and the way it can spy on people, she said during a Sept. 17 author panel. “At gas stations, I check for toilet cams,” she said. Some tech stuff does come in handy in romantic relations, though, she said. Like cellphone texting. “I love fighting in texts,” she said. “I prefer it to fighting in person.”

‘G ood P aren ts A re B orin g’ Artists are always getting a bad rap. They' re difficult to live with, seemingly impossible to understand and often obsessed to a fault with their own work. But boy, do they make for good literature. During a Sept. 17 author panel, three fiction writers discussed the reality behind their novels and the types of characters that create the most interesting plots. “Woman No. 17” by Edan Lepucki, Alex G ilvarry’s “Eastman Was Here” and “Harmless Like You” by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan all deal with problematic parents, a point that naturally led to the ultimate question: Is it possible to be a good parent and a good artist? The protagonist of G ilvarry’s “Eastman Was Here” ( who is based on literary giant Norman Mailer) is obsessed with being history’s greatest American writer. He also happens to be a father — one who doesn’t pay much attention to his many children.

“We want to read about bad parents,” G ilvarry said. “G ood parents are boring.” Of all three panelists, Lepucki was the only one with children of her own. Unlike the main character of her latest novel, she uses the inspiration that comes from pivotal moments such as watching her children learn how to speak and puts it into her work, she said. But bad parenting, hidden motives and emotional roller coasters are perhaps not the most realistic elements to be found within a plot. G ilvarry, Buchanan and Lepucki instead all agreed on the two most lifelike things a character can do: Eat and have sex.

‘A merica Was Never A merica to M e’ How blue can you get? David Mills, actor, writer and Langston Hughes disciple, delved deep into the art of the blues during the Langston Hughes Performance and Blues Poetry Workshop on Sept. 17. Taking out a handkerchief and hoisting his

leg up on a nearby chair, Mills dusted off his shoe and held closed the lapels of his blazer. “America was never America to me,” he recited, assuming the persona of the social and racial outsider of Hughes’ 1935 poem “Let America Be America Again.” His performance couldn' t have been more timely. Using Hughes’ work as a lens, Mills discussed the foundational form and rhythm of blues poetry as a whole. “Repeat and rhyme seems simple, but the spirit of the blues is what’s more complex,” he said. As he passed out copies of Hughes’ “Midwinter Blues,” Mills made clear that the poet never intended to set the rhythmic and repetitive lines to song. Based on the basic 12-bar blues, Hughes’ lyrical form served as the missing instrumentation, bridging the gap between poetry and music. The blues are not as simple as Continued on page 4

Thursday, September 21, 2017 • Brooklyn Eagle • 3

Welcome to Book-lyn

Continued from

page 3

een at the Brooklyn Book Festi al b lletin board o ered ith ost t otes that ans er the estion What are yo reading Eagle photo by L ore Croghan someone moaning and groaning on paper, Mills explained. Blues writers often use humor in their work as a way of dealing with pain. And there indeed were bursts of laughter when it came time for participants to write and share their own blues poetry. One attendee “ate the blues for breakfast” while his cornflakes sat soggy in his bowl. Another, stressed out about work the next day, titled her few stanzas “Monday Blues.”

‘Thin gs A ren ' t Ju st a D yad’ Sooo many love stories are about a woman being saved by a man or a woman saving a man. Neither of these story lines appeals to novelist Cara Hoffman. “I' m more interested in writing against the idea of heteronormativity,” Hoffman said at a Sept. 17 author panel. Her recently published novel, “Running,” is about love shared by two gay British men and a young American woman who are down and out in 1980s Athens. “They have their own ethic and deeply held love for one another — for three people,” Hoffman said. For many people, “things aren' t just a dyad,” she said.

A lz heimer' s D isease at A ge 68 How do you survive when your beloved husband is stricken with Alzheimer' s disease at age 68 — and then he decides he loves another woman?

That' s Diane Tate' s devastating predicament in Marita G olden' s novel “The Wide Circumference of Love.” Diane must grapple with the question, “Who am I now that you don' t remember me? ” G olden said during a Sept. 17 author panel. Another author on that panel, Nicole Dennis-Benn, wrote a moving novel about working-class women in Jamaica — where she was born and raised — called “Here Comes the Sun.” One of this novel' s main characters, Margot, sets up a network of sex workers at the resort hotel where she' s employed. And she has sex with male hotel guests for money, although she has passionate longings for a woman who has come back home after living in London for many years. “I can' t judge Margot,” Dennis-Benn said during the panel. “Margot doesn' t know what love looks like.”

S harp Words f or Tru mp - B ashers

Brooklyn Book Festi al a endees do yoga to-

Novelist Jonathan Safran gether. Foer had some sharp words for Trump-bashers. “I feel like Trump has become a kind of convenient way not to think about what one does in one' s home, because we have this perfect symbol of everything that' s wrong in the world embodied in one individual. “Obviously that' s not the case. But it has begun to feel like that' s the case,” Foer said during a Sept. 17 author panel. “And our relationship to news has become indulging these big negative feelings that are not generative. “And it' s fun to read about his last faux pas. And it' s fun to read essays that take him down. And it' s fun to watch [MSNBC host] Rachel Maddow … It' s not a good kind of fun, actually. It' s a destructive kind of fun,” said Foer, whose most recently published novel is called “Here I Am.” The author said this fun is had at the expense of people who voted for Trump in the November 2016 presidential election “not because they' re racist, and not because they' re stupid, but because they are extraordinarily disappointed with their lot in life.” “And he somehow was able to embody their disappointment,” Foer said.

Hu gs f rom the S tory M on ster The Brooklyn Book Festival’s Children’s Day, which took place on Sept. 16, brought

4 • Brooklyn Eagle • Thursday, September 21, 2017

Eagle photo by L ore Croghan

kids' literature to young readers at MetroTech Commons in Downtown Brooklyn. Authors of works ranging from picture books to graphic novels gave readings and discussed the writing life with young fans. The lovable Story Monster gave out hugs and the Statue of Liberty came to life. There were plenty of arts and crafts to keep the little ones engaged as well. Writers included singer and author Laurie Berkner ( “We Are the Dinosaurs”) , New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Bracken ( “The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding”) , 2017 Caldecott Medalist Javaka Steptoe ( “Radiant Child”) and many more. Authors read and performed music to illustrate beloved picture books. Appearing were duo Sean Q ualls and Selina Alko ( “The ohnny e le ynn o age and Colson Case for Loving” and others) , Fro le Angela Dominguez ( “Sing, Don’t Whitehead s eak d ring a Brooklyn Book Festi al anel at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity. Eagle photo by Kathryn Cardin Cry”) and more.

A Special Section of BROOKLYN EAGLE Publications

September 21-27, 2017

Crown Heights’ Old-Fashioned Architectural Eye Candy

ON A STROLL THROUGH THE CROWN HEIGHTS NORTH HISTORIC DISTRICT, YOU SEE DESIGNS BY NUMEROUS IMPORTANT BROOKLYN ARCHITECTS OF YESTERYEAR. FOR INSTANCE, the house at 128 Kingston Ave. was the work of prestigious firm Helmle, Huberty & Hudswell. For a look at another historic home — the neighborhood’s Dean Sage Residence — see EYE ON REAL ESTATE, page 8INB. INBrooklyn photo by Lore Croghan

TASTE Williamsburg Greenpoint, an annual outdoor celebration of North Brooklyn’s local flavor, drew thousands of food aficionados this past weekend to sample tastes from more than 40 of the neighborhood’s best restaurants, bars, breweries and wineries, along with live music and much, much more. The event, in its eighth year, is produced by The Firehouse North Brooklyn Community Center (formally known as Northside Town Hall), which is working to renovate and operate the former Engine Co. 212 Firehouse for Community activity. INBrooklyn photo by Bonnie Meeg

2INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of September 21-27, 2017

INBrooklyn account executive Bonnie Meeg (center) toasts TASTE Williamsburg Greenpoint with two Brooklyn Brewery representatives under the Brooklyn Brewery tent. INBrooklyn photo by Andy Katz

Week of September 21-27, 2017 • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • 3INB

TASTE Williamsburg Greenpoint allowed attendees to sample diverse foods from some of the neighborhood’s most popular restaurants. INBrooklyn photo by Andy Katz

PLACE YOUR AD TODAY: CALL BONNIE & WILL AT 718-422-7400 4INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of September 21-27, 2017

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MYBROOKLYNCALENDAR.COM nection forged through the common voice of music. When: Tuesdays-Sundays, through Sept. 24; Tuesday-Friday, 26 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Where: DUMBO/The Studio at St. Ann's Warehouse (45 Water St.)

Calendar Events

September 21-27

Dissolve Fred Cray's new series of unique “Dissolve” prints present a radical new body of work. Although he continues to adhere to his previous process of transforming photographic imagery through manipulation in this series the resulting images — based in photography — are unique works on paper. When: Tuesday-Saturday through Oct. 7, 11 a.m - 5 p.m. Where: DUMBO/Janet Borden, Inc. (91 Water St.)

Arts The Cuba Series: Portraits of the Old Guard – Paintings by Joseph Milazzo A Brooklyn-born artist of Cuban descent, Milazzo spent six weeks in Cuba discovering his roots and attempting to uncover a lost part of his family heritage. The Cuban people left a deep impression on him and the portrait series he created is direct homage to their incredible spirit. When: Saturday, Sept. 23, 1-11:30 p.m. Where: Carroll Gardens/Saint Paul’s Parish Hall (199 Carroll St.)

10,000 Mantras This is Meg Hitchcock’s third solo exhibition with Studio 10. In her pieces, carefully cut letters and burn marks repeat mantras and other texts through grid formations and subtle patterns. These iterate various liturgical themes: repentance through repetition, selfmortification through cutting and purification with fire and incense. When: Thursday-Sunday, through Oct. 8, 1-6 p.m. Where: Bedford Stuyvesant/Studio 10 (56 Bogart St.)

Photoville Like years before, there will be containers, exhibitions, talks and workshops. The Smorgasburg Beer Garden and food vendors will return, alongside the nighttime events, and this year Photoville will be more immersed throughout the park than ever before. When: Wednesday-Sunday, through Sept. 24 Where: Brooklyn Bridge Park/Pier 6

Being Well: In Search of Utopia? A contemporary art exhibit curated by Kathryn Gressel featuring participating artists Zoey Hart, Leslie Kerby, Anthony Heinz May, Carolyn Monastra, Shana Moulton, Carmen Papalia, Shervone Neckles, Jenna Spevack, Tattfoo Tan and Jody Wood. When: Friday-Sunday, through Oct. 8, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Where: Park Slope/The Old Stone House (336 Third St.)

Sarah Hickson’s Sounds Unseen: A Photographic Memoir of The Calais Sessions The Calais Sessions, in a live music project among musicians living in the U.K. Shot between December 2015 and May 2016 in migrant camps in northern France, the exhibition chronicles the evolution of this collaboration and celebrates a vital human con-

Migration Maura Sheehan brings a flock of balancing birds to create a tableau vivant, or living picture. When: Thursday-Saturday, through Oct. 8, 1-6 p.m. Where: Crown Heights/FiveMyles (558 St. Johns Place) Continued on page 6INB

“The Cuba Series: Portraits of the Old Guard – Paintings by Joseph Milazzo” will be on exhibit at Saint Paul’s Parish Hall on Sept. 23. Image courtesy of the artist

Week of September 21-27, 2017 • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • 5INB

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MYBROOKLYNCALENDAR.COM Continued from page 5INB Joan Snitzer’s Chromophore “Chromophore” highlights the developments in Joan Snitzer’s work during the last two years. In these new paintings, Snitzer looks back at the painted subjects of 20th century abstraction to explore how they can function in a contemporary context. When: Wednesday-Sunday, through Oct. 8, 12-6 p.m. Where: DUMBO/A.I.R. Gallery (155 Plymouth St.)

Where: Brooklyn Heights/Brooklyn Historical Society (128 Pierrepont St.) The Means of a Ready Escape: Brooklyn’s Prospect Park Prospect Park has never been simply an escape from the city, but a fundamental part of it. This exhibition highlights the 150year social history of Brooklyn’s backyard. Featuring more than

Books & Readings

Cake + Coffee + Conversation With Maira Kalman and John Heginbotham In conjunction with Principles of Uncertainty. When: Sunday, Sept. 24, 2-3:30 p.m. Where: Fort Greene/Wendy’s Subway Reading Room (379 Bushwick Ave.)

The Fire Theory: Ice The Fire Theory presents “Ice,” an exhibition, residency and collaborative project curated by Omar LópezChahoud. Currently, racism and xenophobia limits the immigration that has made this country great, endangers immigrants and makes the path to citizenship inaccessible. I.C.E is the U.S. agency that is responsible for the border control, trade, immigration, deportation programs and, as its name indicates, it generates a situation of freezing, a standby between families and friends on both sides of the border. When: WednesdaySaturday, through Oct. 13, 27 p.m. Where: Park Slope/Open Source Gallery (306 17th St.)

Educational

Birding Basics Birding is one of this country’s fastest-growing hobbies. This two-part course will teach the beginner birder the why, where, how and what of birding. With more than 250 species of birds residing in or passing through the Big Apple every year, learn where to look for and how to identify many of the species in this diverse group of animals. The second session will end with a walk through Green-Wood Cemetery, applying some of the lessons learned in the classroom. When: Sunday, Sept. 24, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Where: Greenwood Heights/Green-Wood Cemetery (500 25th St.)

NY Harbor Scenes Muralist and plein air painter Bill Mensching’s oil paintings of high surf, crashing waves and stately vessels will grace the barge’s walls. When: Thursdays and Saturdays, through Oct. 28; Thursdays, 4-8 p.m.; Saturdays, 1-5 p.m. Where: Red Hook/Waterfront Museum (290 Conover St.) Brooklyn Photographs Curated by BRIC’s Elizabeth Ferrer, this show features work by Yolanda Andrade, Stefanie Apple, Nelson Bakerman, Leigh Davis, Russell Frederick, Max Kozloff, George Malave, Meryl Meisler, Patrick D. Pagnano, Sergio Purtell and Larry Racioppo. When: Daily, through Oct. 29, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Where: Fort Greene/BRIC Arts (647 Fulton St.) Until Everyone Has it Made: Jackie Robinson’s Legacy On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the professional baseball color line when the Brooklyn Dodgers started him at first base. Seventy years later, Brooklyn Historical Society is proud to host a new exhibition celebrating this seminal moment in American history. When: Wednesday-Sunday, through June 2018, 12-5 p.m.

When: Wednesdays-Sundays, through July 2018 Where: Brooklyn Heights/Brooklyn Historical Society (128 Pierrepont St.)

150 artifacts and documents, it tells the story of the 585 acres of forest, field and swamp that Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux transformed into an urban oasis, and how the Park has sustained generations of Brooklynites throughout the borough’s many eras of change.

NYTM Train Operators Workshop Drop by the computer lab to take control of a New York City subway car and operate it across virtual miles of track, using some incredibly realistic software. When: Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 23-24, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Where: Downtown Brooklyn/New York Transit Museum (Corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street)

Family Fun Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Family Experience Bring in the new year with the whole family in a relaxed and playful setting. Enjoy live music, singing, puppets, art, creative prayer and the sounds of the Shofar. When: Thursday and Friday, Sept. 21-22, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Where: Bay Ridge/Bay Ridge Jewish Center (405 81st St.) Lavender Blues: Music and Movement Teaching musician Lavender Blues explores music, movement and rhythm with children ages 1-3 years in this engaging jam session. During this class, children develop an understanding of rhythm and music, build awareness and control of their body as well as develop social and coordination skills. When: Thursday, Sept. 21, 10:40-11:45 a.m. Where: Brooklyn Heights/Spark by Brooklyn Children’s Museum (1 John St.) FAD Market A roving fashion, art and design pop-up marketplace presents more than 50 thoughtfully selected independent designers and artists. When: Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 23-24, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Where: Downtown Brooklyn/City Point (445 Albee Square West)

ABOVE: “Until Everyone Has it Made: Jackie Robinson’s Legacy” will be on exhibit at the Brooklyn Historical Society through June 2018. INSET: Green-Wood Cemetery will host a family scavenger hunt on Sunday, Sept. 24. Inset: Image courtesy of Green-Wood Cemetery

Family Scavenger Hunt Enjoy a crisp autumn afternoon with activities, crafts and refreshments in a picturesque greenspace. Decipher mysterious symbols on historic monuments, take in the view from the highest point in Brooklyn (where a famous battle of the American Revolution was fought), peek inside elaborately decorated mausoleums with exquisite stained-glass windows, and go on a scavenger hunt discovering Green-Wood Cemetery’s famous permanent residents. When: Sunday, Sept. 24, 12-3 p.m. Where: Greenwood Heights/Green-Wood Cemetery (500 25th St.) Ed Center Open Hours The Ed Center is open for free drop-in hours four afternoons each week. Get to know Brooklyn Bridge Park with the 250-gallon aquarium filled with critters from the East River, a 10-foot scale model of Brooklyn Bridge Park, crafts, a reading corner and much more. Continued on page 7INB

6INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of September 21-27, 2017

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MYBROOKLYNCALENDAR.COM Continued from page 6INB When: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays (Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2-5 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays, 1-5 p.m.) Where: Brooklyn Bridge Park/Environmental Education Center Story and Play Hear wonderful stories, play with toys and make new friends at this fun and informal program. When: Monday, Sept. 25, 10-11 a.m. Where: Grand Army Plaza/Central Library (10 Grand Army Plaza)

Film Jamaa Fanaka One of the most daring, subversive and iconoclastic filmmakers to emerge from the LA Rebellion movement, Jamaa Fanaka mixed blaxploitation genre thrills with explosive sociopolitical subtext. A true auteur—he wrote, produced, directed and distributed his first three features while still a student at UCLA—his films are at once unabashedly entertaining and unflinching in their dissection of systemic racism, violence and black American life. When: Daily, through Sept. 27 (See www.bam.org for schedule) Where: Fort Greene/BAMRose Cinemas (30 Lafayette Ave.) Ghostbusters Parapsychologists decide to open their own ghost removal service. When: Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 23-24, 11:30 a.m. Where: Williamsburg/Nitehawk Cinema (136 Metropolitan Ave.)

Health NYRR Open Run at Pier 6 Whether you’re a first-time runner, a seasoned marathoner or you prefer to walk, you’re welcome to tag along. No need to register in advance; sign-in takes place on-site. NYRR Open Runs are open to all ages. When: Tuesday, Sept. 26, 7 p.m. Where: Brooklyn Bridge Park

Nightlife

Nearly three hours of the greatest moments from the last 50 years of music, including dozens of songs that have formed the soundtracks of many lives. When: Thursday, Sept. 21, 8 p.m. Where: Prospect Heights/Barclays Center (620 Atlantic Ave.) Live at the Archway This annual series of free performances and events taking place at the unique setting of the Manhattan Bridge in DUMBO reflects the neighborhood’s diversity and commitment to the arts. It showcases a broad variety of musical genres and dance programming. This week: DJ Nickodemus and friends take you on a dance ride around the world on their Wonderwheel Recordings label. Plus, make some art with Tara Dixon. When: Thursday, Sept. 21, 6 p.m. Where: DUMBO/The Archway (Water Street and Anchorage Place) Olivier Py Sings “Les Premiers Adieux de Miss Knife” By day, he is one of the most respected stage directors, actors, writers and impresarios in Europe. By night, he’s a cabaret chanteuse expunging life’s pain and love’s agony. This unusual artistic double identity comes together when the director of the Festival d’Avignon, Olivier Py, makes a rare U.S. stage appearance. When: Wednesday-Saturday, Sept. 20-23, 7:30 p.m. Where: Fort Greene/BAM Fishman Space (321 Ashland Place) Café Müller and The Rite of Spring “Café Müller” is an intimate, autobiographical work for six dancers set in a café that resembles the restaurant that Bausch’s parents owned when she was a child. In this repetitious and dream-like work, the main character (historically performed by Bausch) stumbles through the café with closed eyes, while the other characters scramble to keep her from falling into chairs and tables. “The Rite of Spring” is Bausch’s interpretation of Igor Stravinsky’s iconic composition. Considered by many critics to be among the best versions of “The Rite” ever made, after Nijinsky’s original dance work, Bausch’s version takes place on a stage covered in sodden dirt and maintains the primal and sexually charged nature of the original 1913 work. When: Daily, through Sept. 24, 7:30 p.m. (Sunday show, 3 p.m.) Where: Fort Greene/ BAM Howard Gilman Opera House (30 Lafayette Ave.)  For more listings, see mybrooklyncalendar.com.

15th Annual New York Burlesque Festival Teaser Celebrating more than a decade of glitter and glamour in Gotham, with more than 100 performers from around the Globe. When: Thursday, Sept. 21 (Doors open at 6:30 p.m.) Where: Gowanus/The Bell House (149 Seventh St.)

Theatre & Music Paul McCartney One on One The Paul McCartney live experience is everything any music lover could ever want from a rock show — and so much more:

Week of September 21-27, 2017 ARIES — Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, communication is essential in any relationship, including ones of a romantic nature. Learn to get your point across without being too forward. TAURUS — Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, you may have little desire to go above and beyond what is necessary this week. You may want to spend much of your time sticking to familiar routines. GEMINI — May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, you can probably use a good dose of peace and quiet right now, but there are too many things on your calendar for this to be possible anytime soon. CANCER — Jun 22/Jul 22 Cancer, enjoy a boost in ambition, stamina and overall energy in the coming days. This will help you initiate and complete projects with amazing precision. LEO — Jul 23/Aug 23 Intense desires are simmering just beneath the surface, Leo. But youÕre not sure how to express your feelings just yet. Usually you are direct, but this may require finesse. VIRGO — Aug 24/Sept 22 Hanging out with friends seems like a great idea, especially when all of your tasks at work and at home have been completed, Virgo. DonÕt let anything hold you back. LIBRA — Sept 23/Oct 23 Libra, spend some time relaxing at home in the coming days. The rest and relaxation will do your body good. Rise to action when you are called upon.

Continued on page 7INB

SCORPIO — Oct 24/Nov 22 Pay careful attention to all details, Scorpio. They are trying to tell you something about your future. You just do not know where the road will bend. SAGITTARIUS — Nov 23/Dec 21 Sagittarius, it is not uncommon to feel on edge when leaving your comfort zone. Embrace this sense of adventure and uncertainty and make the most of a unique opportunity. CAPRICORN — Dec 22/Jan 20 Capricorn, you desire stability even though you take some chances in the coming days. You may appear sure-footed to others, but your nerves may be out of control. Take things slowly. AQUARIUS — Jan 21/Feb 18 Aquarius, thoughts keep tugging at your emotions and leaving you with lingering feelings of doubt. It is time to push away those feelings once and for all. PISCES — Feb 19/Mar 20 Pisces, find different ways to express your feelings to your partner. This can open the lines of communication and strengthen your bond.

Week of September 21-27, 2017 • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • 7INB

The Institute for Community Living will construct a new building on the grounds of the landmarked Dean Sage Residence in Crown Heights.

INBrooklyn photo by Lore Croghan

The Dean Sage Residence Is an 1870s Treasure

Nonprofit Signs Accord About Construction Procedures to Protect Landmarked Crown Heights House By Lore Croghan INBrooklyn

Proceed With Caution. A nonprofit that owns an important Crown Heights North Historic District house has signed an agreement with government agencies about how to construct a new building without harming the original 19th-century landmark. The new building will wrap around the Dean Sage Residence and occupy part of a garden on the side of the house.

The historic house at 839 St. Marks Ave., which was designed by architect Russell Sturgis and constructed in 1870, belongs to the Institute for Community Living (ICL). Back when the house belonged to its original owner, Dean Sage, famous author Mark Twain was a house guest. In recent decades, ICL used the High-Victorian Gothic mansion and an addition on the back of it as a 48-bed residence for mentally ill single adults. The institute plans to demolish the back addition to make way for a new building. Part of the new structure will be 4½ stories tall and part of it will be six stories tall. When the development is completed, there will be approximately 70 units of supportive and affordable housing. Readers with good memories will recall that ICL presented its expansion plan for 839 St. Marks Ave. to the city Landmarks Preservation Commission at a March 2016 public hearing.

HPD Loan Is Contingent on Careful Construction ICL wants a federally funded loan for the development project from the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). Before providing funding, the housing agency is required by law to ascertain whether construction could potentially harm the landmarked house. As part of that process, the State Historic Preservation Office

(SHPO) decided the planned construction could have an “adverse impact” on the Dean Sage Residence. In July, ICL and the two government agencies signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that spells out the steps the institute is required to take to protect the historic house during construction. It must comply with the agreement in order to receive the loan it is seeking from HPD. We obtained a copy of the memorandum of agreement from SHPO’s press office. The document spells out several things the Institute for Community Living must do at 839 St. Marks Ave.: • Preserve “character-defining features” in the ground-floor common areas of the 1870s house such as paneling, parquet flooring and molded trim on the ceiling. • Consult with SHPO about the correct methods for repairing the exterior of the 1870s house, which might include the reconstruction of architectural features that have been removed. According to the memorandum of agreement, ICL plans to rebuild the historic house’s front porch, which was removed sometime between 1929 and 1940. • Salvage ornamental items in the garden such as a sundial and “amphitheater masonry” and reuse them in garden areas that remain after the new building is constructed. • With the help of an engineer with expertise in dealing with historic buildings, create a “construction protection plan” that will prevent harm to the 1870s house and other historic buildings within a 90-foot radius of the project site.

Three Cheers for the WeedWackers When we stopped by 839 St. Marks Ave. several days ago, the historic house looked like it was lost in the wilderness. Vines choked the trees at the front entrance. A garden on the side of the house was wildly overgrown. Weeds as tall as trees sprouted out of the surrounding sidewalk. We emailed the Institute for Community Living to ask for development info — and inquire why the grounds weren’t being maintained. The next day, when we made another visit to the Dean Sage Residence, a work crew from the Institute for Community Living was out on the sidewalk, chopping weeds out of the tree pits. The following day, the workers returned to continue their landscaping clean-up. 8INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of September 21-27, 2017

Week of September 21-27, 2017 • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • 9INB

10INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of September 21-27, 2017

Carmine, an adorable local Dachshund, tries on a new coat before a Photo by Isabella and Tony Yanni walk on Brooklyn streets.

Week of September 21-27, 2017 • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • 11INB

--- CROSSWORD ---

(See answers on page 15.)

HOW TO PLAY: Fill in the grid so that every row, every colmn, and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once. Each 3x3 box is outlined with a darker line. You already have a few numbers to get you started. Remember: You must not repeat the numbers 1 through 9 in the same line, column, or 3x3 box.

See answers on page 15. 12INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of September 21-27, 2017

Leaf & Stem Is the One-Stop Shop for Health-Conscious Products in Brooklyn

Handmade Remedies for Face, Body, Peace of Mind By John Alexander INBrooklyn

There’s a genuinely magical place located in the heart of DUMBO at 100 Water St. Leaf & Stem has everything customers need for relaxation, beauty and skin care and healing therapies. The shop contains rooms full of oils and soaps and assorted items made only with natural ingredients that are created by a team of master herbalists. It’s a complete healing and production center featuring therapeutic remedies for everything that ails you. When customers enter the peaceful, comforting and aromatic rooms that make up Leaf & Stem, they will be mesmerized by the feeling of calm that permeates the space. Trevis Smith, a gentle, engaging master herbalist, recommends the various remedies made at Leaf & Stem. He can simply look at an individual, analyze his or her condition and offer suggestions that will help each custimer. Ciarra Orellano oversees a room filled with bath salts and various bottles of oils and soaps to be used externally as remedies for various skin ailments. “The oil use is pretty much self-explanatory,” Orellano said. “You can either burn the oils or use them for aroma therapy purposes. You can smell them and they will wake you up and relax you.” One of the most loyal customers of Leaf & Stem is a devoted fan of lavender. And the way he tells his story makes it seem like a miracle. After a five-borough bike ride with his 10-yearold son, he went home to find that they had both been badly sunburned, with bright red

forearms. Having heard that lavender is an effective healer of skin and is used in humidifiers in hospital rooms with recovering burn victims, he quickly made a paste of aloe vera with a few drops of lavender essential oil. Rubbing the paste onto his forearms as well as those of his son, he was amazed to find that the harsh redness disappeared, literally, the next day. He became a firm believer in essential oils. Halyna Shvets works in the herbal room. “We have herbs here in their natural condition,” Shvets explained. The room also has books about herbal medicines. Leaf & Stem has shelves full of capsules prepared on the premises that help energize the mind and body. For example, Spirulina powder is made into capsules that offer a jolt of energy similar to drinking a cup of coffee. The capsules help remedy conditions such as arthritis and even the common cold. Others can naturally help someone quit smoking, while some capsules can offer relief for gall bladder problems and heart and lung issues. One of the shop’s most requested items is thieves oil — a powerful blend of clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus radiate and rosemary. The aromatic blend is designed specifically to support a healthy immune system. And if you’re looking for something tasty and soothing, Leaf & Stem offers a large selection of herbal teas. It’s especially nice to know that everything produced at the shop, including its chocolate bath salt, is handmade from 100-percent raw, pure and organic ingredients.

Leaf & Stem is located at 100 Water St.

INBrooklyn photos by Bonnie Meeg

Organic essential oils (inset) and herbal tinctures (above) line the shelves inside Leaf & Stem. Week of September 21-27, 2017 • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • 13INB

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Week of September 21-27, 2017 • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • 15INB

16INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of September 21-27, 2017

Thursday, September 21, 2017 • Brooklyn Eagle • 5

‘Makbet’ Is

SHAKESPEARE in a

SHIPPING CONTAINER A s hipping c ontainer ser es as an intim ate theatre venue for D z iec i Theatre’ s rod tion of akbet.” P hoto by Troy Hahn

a itler ar right and ello e bers o D ieci Theatre are resenting akbet in a shi ing container. hoto by Thea arlid

‘ S om ething W ic ked This W ay C om es’ To East W illiam sbu rg By Lore Croghan Brooklyn Eagle

Shakespeare. In a shipping container. With bursts of Eastern European Roma-style singing and chanting. What’s not to like? Dzieci Theatre is staging “Makbet,” an intense and deeply satisfying version of Shakespeare’s tragedy “Macbeth,” at an East Williamsburg recycling center called Sure We Can. It’s an open-air lot stacked high with shipping containers that are filled with bags of cans and bottles. At the back of the lot, one of the containers is being used as a tiny theatre venue. Before the play begins, the affable cast spends some quality time with audience members. Everybody gathers outdoors around a fire in a trash can for a sing-along and some other bonding activities. Then the actors escort playgoers into the quirky theatre. It’s narrow and partly filled with milk crates that serve as seating for the audience and several cast members. If it were a hairsbreadth smaller, it would be claustrophobia-inducing. The container’s steel walls come in handy when the actors want to create thunderous sound effects. The small space works well in compelling the audience to share very intimately the characters’ suffering and passions. And oh, such passions.

E mb racin g E vil Like it’s a Relig ion “Macbeth” is arguably the darkest of William Shakespeare’s plays. Its protagonist resorts to murder, again and again, to become a king and remain a king. He embraces evil like it’s a religion. And Dzieci Theatre’s founder, Matt Mitler, sticks faithfully to Shakespeare’s original text, with judicious trims, in his adaptation. Mitler also designed this production, and is its director. By the way, the experimental theatre ensemble’s name “dzieci” means “children” in Polish. Five actors — the ones seated on the milk 4 • Brooklyn Eagle • Thursday, September 21, 2017

crates — serve as a chorus. Three other actors play all the principal roles. They know every line of 90-minute “Makbet.” Each one plays a particular role for a few minutes, then takes on a different role. They wear specific items of clothing to indicate who’s who at any given moment — for instance, a black hat when they’re playing Macbeth, a bloodred scarf when they’re playing Lady Macbeth. It’s easy to remember which item denotes which character because the actors explain all this before “Makbet” starts. “If no one is Macbeth for too long, no one leaves here cursed,” one of them says. Mitler, Megan Bones and Yvonne Brechbuhler are the principal actors, a supremely skilled trio. You’ll get chills down your spine when Lady Macbeth calls upon evil spirits to “unsex me here; and fill me from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty.” Macbeth’s soliloquy that begins, “Is this a dagger which I see before me,” about a hallucinatory weapon for slaying K ing Duncan, is terrifying. A scene in which Macbeth sees the ghost of another murder victim, Banquo, is harrowing. Scenes with the three witches are the stuff of nightmares — which is, of course, exactly what they’re supposed to be. It’s all terrific theatre. In the course of the play’s five-week run, possibly different actors will play these mesmerizing scenes on different days. But it’s a good bet that at every performance, these scenes — and indeed the entire play — will be acted with riveting intensity. D z ieci Theat re’ s “ M akb et ” ru n s t hrou gh O ct . 8 , wit h p erf orman ces on Thu rsd ay s t hrou gh S u n d ay s. The v en u e, which is a ship p in g con t ain er at recy clin g cen t er S u re W e C an , is at 2 1 9 M cK ib b in S t . in a sect ion of E ast W illiamsb u rg t hat ’ s somet imes ref erred t o as B u shwick. S ee dziecitheatre.org t o p u rchase t icket s, which are $ 2 0 .

Bank Grand Opening in Clinton Hill

C erem ony M arks the Bank’ s 3 5 th Branc h L oc ation

Ridge ood avings Bank e ecutives c ut the ribbon at the bank’ s new branc h in Clinton Hill.

Eagle photos by Andy Katz

By John Alexander Brooklyn Eagle

A w arm, but c omf ortable September morni ng serv ed as the perf ec t setti ng f or the ri bbon- c utti ng c eremony of the brand new R i dgew ood Sav i ngs Bank branc h at 103 5 F ulton St. i n C li nton H i ll. O n Tuesday, Sept. 12, elec ted of f i c i als and c ommuni ty leaders along w i th R i dgew ood managers and ex ec uti v es gathered to c elebrate the f ormal openi ng of the new nei ghborhood bank loc ati on. The ev ent w as hosted by openi ng of the new branc h R i dgew ood Sav i ngs Bank i n a grow i ng and i mprov i ng C hai rman and C EO P eter nei ghborhood. She c redBoger and P resi dent and i ted F ulton A rea Busi ness C O O L eonard Stekol to c omA lli anc e ( F A B) w i th partnermemorate the openi ng of the i ng w i th the bank to get the 3 5 th branc h loc ati on. A nthoni e M arshall, branc h banki ng of f i c er, sai d that she w as proud to be the manager of the new bank. M arshall ex plai ned that the nei ghborhood “ w as underbanked, and I know w e c an gi v e them ex ac tly w hat they need w i th regards to c ustomer serv i c e, banki ng, loans — w e’ re here f or them. ” M anagement trai nee D eni s M yagkov , w ho has w orked f or the bank si nc e 2013 , w as Joan P ic c ione, R idgew ood B ank happy to attend hi s f i rst vic e president and distric t mangrand openi ng and w as ager, speaks at grand opening. pleased w i th the bank’ s arc hi tec tural style, ex plai ni ng that there i s only one R i dgew ood name out there. “ A s you know , w e’ v e other branc h that looks li ke i t. been i n busi ness f or ov er Boerum H i ll- born Emmanuel G uerrero, the 100 years and our motto i s bank’ s assi stant manager, ‘ nei ghborgood,’ and that’ s w as also i mpressed w i th w hat w e’ re here f or, and the style of the new branc h i t’ s our pleasure to be here and the i dea of gi v i ng bac k serv i ng thi s c ommuni ty,” sai d M anni no. She added that she to the c ommuni ty. The Sunset P ark resi dent began hi s i s proud to hav e been af f i li atc areer i n 2007 at the Bay ed w i th R i dgew ood f or more R i dge branc h, w here he than 3 3 years. M atthew Sc hetti no, v i c e w orked f or si x years. presi dent marketi ng di rec tor, L ouA nn M anni no, R i dgew ood Bank v i c e presi dent ec hoed M anni no’ s w ords and of branc h operati ons, sai d sai d that i t’ s all about gi v i ng that she w as thri lled w i th the bac k to the c ommuni ty.

F i f teen D egrees medi a group A c c ount Ex ec uti v e J usti n C alder ex plai ned that thei r c ampai gn i s c alled “ nei ghborgood” bec ause “ w e w ant to bec ome part of the nei ghborhood. W e w ant to be i nv olv ed i n the nei ghborhood, and w e w ant to donate to c hari ti es i n the bank’ s name. ” M ari a V ullo, superi nten ntendent of the N ew Y ork State D epartment of F i nanc i al Serv i c es, sai d she w as “ pleased to j oi n i n the c elebrati on of the banki ng dev elopment di stri c t f or R i dgew ood Sav i ngs Bank here i n C li nton H i ll. ” The nati v e Brooklyni te ex plai ned that she w as pleased to j oi n other Brooklyni tes to c elebrate Brooklyn’ s di v erer si ty. “ W hen searc hi ng f or a loc ati on f or our new est branc h i n C li nton H i ll,” sai d Stekol, “ w e w ere i mpressed w i th the nei ghborhood’ s great hi story, hardw orki ng populati on and thri v i ng busi ness c ommuni ty. I t j ust seemed li ke the perf ec t loc ati on. ” Boger c alled C li nton H i ll the perf ec t f i t f or the new branc h loc ati on. H e prai sed hi s staf f f or thei r ti me and dedi c ati on and thanked Brooklyn Borough P resi dent Eri c A dams and hi s Ex ec uti v e D i rec tor L ori L ew i s, w ho w ere also at the c eremony.

idge ood Bank resident and C eonard tekol le addresses ro d at the bank s grand o ening ere ony ith Chair an and C eter Boger and e ti e i e resident and Chief ending er nthony i eone

Fro le enis grand o ening

yagko

annino and

lit a

Franklin at the idge ood Bank

Fro le idge ood Bank e ti e eter Boger Carlos an he and eonard tekol at the Clinton ill bran h grand o ening Thursday, September 21, 2017 • Brooklyn Eagle • 7

8 • Brooklyn Eagle • Thursday, September 21, 2017